Association of Counsel Policy

Effective March 2000, a case appointment on an assisted basis may not use associate counsel except under extraordinary circumstances and with prior approval of the project director. Please contact CCAP for further information.

Do not put associate counsel hours on line 18 (expenses). Instead, merge all associate counsel hours into the total attorney hours listed on the other lines of the compensation claim form line by line (e.g., record review, AOB, etc). Appointed counsel must complete an "Associate Counsel" log form to submit with the claim.

In addition, under current court and AIDOAC policies, appointed counsel must first obtain the court's approval for services rendered by associate counsel if the associate is going to sign any pleading or appear at oral argument. Route the request to CCAP for handling.

CCAP requires all communications with the project be handled personally by appointed counsel, not by the associate.

Use of Associate Counsel in Appointed Cases

The Appellant Indigent Defense Oversight Advisory Committee (AIDOAC) has adopted a policy that severely restricts the use of associate counsel in all Assisted appointment cases. Only in rare instances will the project waive these restrictions. For extraordinary circumstances, the panel attorney must request preapproval from the project's Executive Director. (For more information, read "AIDOAC Policy on Use of Associate Counsel" in the CCAP panel manual)

Panel Change of Address/Name

Use of the Panel Information Sheet form is mandatory for any change of address or name change for panel attorneys.

The Judicial Council of California (JCC) requires a signed original form be submitted to them, with a copy sent to each project that you work with. The JCC address is on the form. Email and phone number changes can be sent to just the project.

Remember to notify the court and client on every open case whenever you change your business address; these must be TrueFiled with our courts.

Finally, it is strongly recommended that for privacy and safety reasons you use an address other than your home address for your business address. (See "Setting Up Your Office" article in the efficiency series for new panel attorneys.)

Panel Information Sheet

Use of the Panel Information Sheet form is mandatory for any panel attorney change of address.

The Judicial Council of California (JCC) requires a signed original form be submitted to them, with a copy sent to each project that you work with. The JCC address is on the form.

Remember to notify the court and client on every open case whenever you change your business address; our courts require that these be TrueFiled.

Finally, it is strongly recommended that for privacy and safety reasons you use an address other than your home address for your business address. (See "Setting Up Your Office" article in the efficiency series for new panel attorneys.)

Panel Direct Deposit Form

Submit an original of this form directly to the JCC at the following address: Judicial Council of California, Accounting Unit, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-3688, Attn: Yvonne Pham. For answers to frequently asked questions, read the FAQ sheet from the JCC.

CCAP Panel Email Election Form

If you are changing an email address, you need to submit a "Panel Attorney Email Election Form" to CCAP. Since there are three email choices listed on the form, we appreciate your verifying all three email choices are still current. Email changes for e-filing purposes must also be sent to the court (via TrueFiling) for every open case. (Rules of Court, rule 8.71(d).) Use our motion sample for notifying the court.

EOT, Fifth District

The Fifth District has a very rigorous approach to the timely filing of briefs. Don't use a late letter as a "grace period" for filing the opening brief! Instead, file the brief by the due date, or file an EOT.

If the record is incomplete, the court expects a motion to augment be filed before an EOT is filed. When sending the EOT, make sure to send sufficient copies to the court so CCAP is sent the court's order. Court service copies for all parties must include pre-addressed postage-paid envelopes (except the AG in the Fifth). For more tips, see the EOT article.

IMPORTANT TIP#1 FOR SUCCESS IN USING THIS PDF FORM: This form behaves best using Adobe Reader XI (the most current version of the free download reader). In testing, we were unable to save a copy of the document using either version 9 or 10.

IMPORTANT TIP#2 FOR SUCCESS IN USING THIS PDF FORM: We suggest the first time that you access this form online that you save a blank copy to your computer somewhere and then use that local copy as your future template for each case. Some attorneys have not been able to save a copy unless they save the blank copy first to use as a template before beginning to use it.

EOT, Third District

The Third District has a very rigorous approach to the timely filing of briefs. Don't use a late letter as a "grace period" for filing the opening brief! Instead, file the brief by the due date, or file an EOT. If the record is incomplete, the court expects a motion to augment be filed before an EOT is filed. (See appointment order.) For more tips, see the EOT article.

Interpreter Expenses

Preauthorization is required for translator expenses in both the Third and the Fifth. Translator fees that are not expected to exceed $300 may be submitted in writing directly to CCAP for preapproval. For fees expected to exceed $300, the preauthorization procedures vary by court. For more information, see the Interpreter & Travel Expenses article. CCAP encourages attorneys to make use of the foreign language letters available on the website in order to reserve approved interpreter funds for advising the client about case specifics.

Changing Your Tax Identification Number?

Any change for Tax ID requires submission of a new W-9 form to the JCC. Mail the signed original to: Judicial Council of California, Accounting Unit, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-3688, Attn: Yvonne Pham. Do not send tax information to CCAP; the projects use only vendor numbers and no longer require any tax ID information.